5 reasons for EA make female players included in FIFA 16

May 28th, EA announced the inclusion of Women's National Teams to FIFA 16. As one of the most requested features in recent years, this is a huge milestone for both EA's franchise and the sport. There are 5 reasons why EA should include female players in FIFA 16:

Growth of Women's Football
On the November 23, 2014, the England International Women's team will take on Germany in front of 55,000 fans at Wembley Stadium, UK. This record is a massive milestone in Women's football and reflects the rapid growth experience throughout the world, especially in European nations. In 2011, it was reported that there was over 29 million female football players worldwide, 32% more than the amount in 2000 and this has urged footballing nations around the world to encourage further growth.

More International matches, opportunities and professional leagues have formed around the world (such as the National Women's Soccer League in the USA) as a result and it's difficult to say why Electronic Arts hasn't incorporated this into their game with statistics like this.

International Competitions
The 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany reached over 407.8 million people around the world, the most successful viewing of the event yet. Women football events are not brand new, either, with the World Cups appearing since 1991 along with a host of youth tournaments such as the Youth Olympic Football Tournament in 2010.

The participation rates of these tournaments have increased sporadically with well over 350 matches occurring per year after 2011. In addition, the number of active senior teams has also increased drastically over the past decade with 140 appearing in 2010 and is increasing to the present day.

Exposure
Japan won the 2011 Women's World Cup, defeating favorites USA in the final in a thrilling, emotional journey that involved natural disaster and tragedy. It's a true pity that most of the footballing world may not have heard this story of how after the effects of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, Japan rose to victory. After months of dealing with the aftermath of pure disaster and ruin, this World Cup win provided a hint of happiness that inspired the nation.

The stories of Men's Football have been well publicized, with many mentioned within the FIFA games themselves, but Women's Football deserves exposure so inspirational stories can be brought to life.

Females in Other AAA Games
Females have started to appear within many popular AAA games released in recent years such as Call of Duty: Ghosts and Battlefield 4 and so questions are raised as to why they are not evident within FIFA. However, Matt Bilby of EA Sports has asked fans “to be vocal” in order to encourage the inclusion of Women's Football into the popular game.

The Petition
A petition on change.org closed with over 13,000 signatures agreeing to tell EA Sports to include female characters within their FIFA games. The article highlights the fast growth of the game throughout the world and the influence successful female players have upon the community. With FIFA being the most successful football gaming franchise in history, the addition of female players and teams would encourage the continuous growth of the sport.